


The Captain and the Commander of the Grey

by Dr_Harbinger



Category: Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: F/M, Rare Characters, Rare Pairings, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-21 22:23:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Harbinger/pseuds/Dr_Harbinger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Marcus Garevel of Vigil's Keep had thought that Warden Commander Eomerra Cousland would be far older, much more ruthless and a lot colder in person than she had proved to be. He wasn't entirely surprised when he found himself falling for her. He had simply never expected her to want him too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Captain and the Commander of the Grey

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work of FANFICTION and as such has been created for non-profit entertainment purposes only. All characters and settings are copyrighted to BIOWARE and the respective writers. No copyright infringement was intended in the creation of this story.
> 
> NOTE: Captain Garevel is so NPC he doesn't have a first name. I also forgot what exactly his position was so I assumed he was a guard captain. Other than these liberties I hope I got everything else well.

There were a few things that Marcus Garevel, Captain of the Guard at Vigil’s Keep, could say surprised him anymore. There was the original darkspawn attack on the Vigil that he had not expected and thus had not been present for (how exactly those bastards got in and managed to wipe out so many of his men and the Wardens he didn’t know until later but that was hardly relevant) and there was actually meeting the Warden Commander. He had to say, he had been expecting a stocky older woman with graying hair that was barely kept in place and blood splattered all over her armor like some kind of trophy. She was a renowned darkspawn slayer, even took on the ArchDemon he had heard. There had to be a ruthlessness in her that made her seem monstrous in his mind.

But in person, she was someone completely different. Her features were still youthful although it was clear she was no girl anymore and her armor was clean and polished, as were her weapons. Her blonde hair was pulled back, away from her face, in the intricate braids the nobles liked so much and she was a slender woman, strong but in a lithe way. She moved with grace when he walked and held her head high as she had every reason to. Had he not believed himself well below her station, both as the captain of the guard and social rank, he might have asked her for the honor of taking her to dinner once the more serious matters were attended to.

As it was he kept his tone professional, told her all the information he could about her Arling when she asked and let her know what was being done to keep the darkspawn from making another surge. He didn’t let his eyes wander lower than her shoulders even when she turned to walk away and if he had a few uncomfortable nights by himself in his quarters later with her name on his lips and flashes of what he’d imagined she would be like beneath him in his bed… well, that was for his knowledge only. Such desires had never hurt anyone before so long as they were able to control them and if there was one thing he was good at it was control. 

Or at least he had been until this night. The darkspawn had retreated. The Vigil was kept safe, even if it had cost them their capital city. It seemed almost inevitable that the survivors of the attacks would celebrate this victory before they fell to their mourning. 

Marcus hadn’t planned on drinking at all originally. He had worn his armor tonight to try and give more of an air of a bodyguard rather than someone actually attending the party but his men wouldn’t hear of it. They claimed they had survived because of his leadership, because he was the kind of man he was and had actually stepped in the way to shield them from the worst of the blows when he could have focused his attention in combat. Honestly, he hadn’t thought it was quite as worthy of praise as they were making it out to be but he accepted that they thought it was and took the mug when they pressed it into his hands more out of a sense of duty than actually being thirsty.

Somehow that one mug became two, three, four and more. He wasn’t able to keep track he was so far gone -which was a state he rarely if ever got himself into anymore- but he wasn’t so drunk he didn’t have some kind of control over himself. One of the men he was sitting with had left to go get more ale from somewhere and it was while the others were occupied that his eyes fell onto the Warden Commander, sitting at her separate table, talking with her companions. She was for once not dressed in any kind of leather at all but rather was wearing the fine dress of a noble woman. With the alcohol in his blood, he couldn’t keep his eyes from traveling over her body as she stood to emphasize a point, her corsets only emphasizing just how lithe she was and how tasteful her curves were. 

If one of his men noticed his staring they didn’t say anything. When his man came back with the drinks for the table he was able to tear his gaze away and focus once more on the conversation. He didn’t notice the quiet whispering about him from the Warden Commander’s table, nor the pair of stares thrown his way. He was too busy enjoying himself for once in his bloody life. It had been far too long since something like this had happened.

After a few hours passed and the majority of the other guests had either gone home, Marcus had been about ready to start sobering himself with water when he felt a hand clasp him gently on the back of his neck and a male voice saying in his ear, “May I have a word captain?” Had he been any less drunk he might have spun around and snapped the arm of the man who touched him but as it was he just accepted the touch for what it was and got to his feet. He excused himself from his remaining men –who were much too drunk to notice- and let a hand on his shoulder guide him to a more private area that was still in full view of the room. The captain wanted to thank whoever it was for keeping in mind what his original purpose was here but he couldn’t make the words come out of his mouth so he kept the thought to himself.

As it turned out the man who wanted to speak to him was that mage the Warden-Commander kept with her… Anders? He wasn’t particularly good with names that he didn’t need to memorize. The man looked a bit ridiculous with that look of anger on his face yet with the flush of alcohol in his cheeks. Still, Marcus didn’t comment on it. If he was angry there had to be a reason. Was someone bothering the Commander and he hadn’t noticed? Oh he’d kick himself several times over if he had missed something like that… although she had proven several times over she could well take care of herself.

“You are a bold man, Captain Garevel,” Anders seemed to hiss, “to so blatantly undress the Warden Commander with your eyes like that in a room full of others. Just because she chose to wear clothes worthy of her station doesn’t mean she’s any less of a warrior than she is in armor.”

Was that jealousy he had heard? Or just protectiveness? He didn’t have enough wits about him to really hear the difference in the nuances in the mage’s tone but it hardly mattered. “As if I’d ever doubt that, Ser Mage,” he replied, his tone still the stern captain’s tone he took on when he talked down one of his own men although why he adopted it now he wasn’t sure. It must be a subconscious thing… “I am not so foolish as to think I could come close to touching her if she did not want it. However I am neither blind nor a fool. If I did not appreciate her for her beauty as well as her strength it would be a crime against the Maker.”

That seemed to rile up this Anders fellow but before he could say something stupid Marcus felt a hand press into the chainmail of his armor on his upper arm, drawing his attention to that person. He immediately felt a flush cross his cheeks as he realized it was the Warden Commander and quickly turned his blue eyes away. He hoped she hadn’t heard the majority of that conversation. It was bad enough he was confronted about his unfortunate affections for the woman by one of her apparently overly protective companions. If she had heard of it and chose to reject him, working together from here on out was going to be difficult.

He must have tuned out whatever it was she said to the mage because one moment he was still there ranting quietly and the next in his place was the Warden Commander, watching him with a faint smile of amusement on her beautiful face and a sparkly of mischief in her green eyes. “I apologize for my friend,” she said, “He tends to get overprotective now that the Darkspawn are gone. I suppose it is because he needs something better to do with his time.”

“I apologize Commander,” Marcus said, standing up straight and looking over her head as if he was about to get dressed down, “I had not meant to make you uncomfortable. I suppose the drink has gotten to my head and I was no longer able to control my actions. I will leave now and send you recommendations for my replacement in the morning if you wish.”

“Replacement?”

“Surely you would not want to keep me on as Captain if my glances are unwelcome.”

“How do you know they are unwelcome?”

Marcus looked up sharply at that, surprised by her words but also by her tone. She didn’t sound like she was mocking him but she didn’t sound like she was entirely serious either. Her sense of humor, the few times he had been around to see it, had been something he had admired in her. Now, without his sobriety to help him, he wasn’t sure if he welcomed it or not. Still he could feel himself sobering up rather quickly. It must have been the magical effects of such a conversation. Perhaps there was a chance for his sanity yet.

“Commander…”

She hushed him with a gesture and motioned for him to follow her out of the banquet hall and into the mostly deserted hallway just outside. He wondered if she was just trying to not embarrass him in front of his men or if the noise inside was just too loud. Either way it rubbed at his nerves uncomfortably.

“You know, Captain, before I was a Grey Warden, I was the daughter of a Teyrn,” she said once they were in the clear and decidedly alone, “my father and his friends tried to make all kinds of political matches for me amongst the nobles. I was never allowed to make my own choices. Even during the Blight my choices all had to be guided by what would end the Blight and save the most people, regardless of what I wanted. So after fighting so hard with Alistair, surviving against the odds and getting him crowned, I had no choice but to hand him over to another woman so he could have the heir that Ferelden needed while I was given the charge of Warden Commander and Arlessa of Amaranthine.”

She turned then and her eyes looked hard, her expression stony, and it took a while before Marcus could admit to himself that even such an expression on her features frightened him as much as it aroused him. “You are no high noble, Captain,” she said, “You are no king or famous commander. Yet I find himself drawn to you, more so than I felt drawn to Alistair.”

He swallowed the lump he felt building in his throat as she stepped closer, her hands roughened by sword wielding coming up to cup his jaw. His hands almost instinctively came to her corset, careful to make sure that the cold metal of his gauntlets didn’t brush the fine cloth she wore in case the cold might somehow seep through them to her skin. He might have looked away if she would have let him. As it was he just stared into her sparkling green eyes…

“Commander…”

“Eomerra. Call me Eomerra.”

“Eomerra, are you certain about this? My men will talk, word will spread if we are caught this night… which is likely given how vigilant the men I have on duty are. I could not bear to be a source of scandal and shame upon your name should we begin this affair…”

Anything else he might have had to say was silenced as she pulled him down for a rough kiss, one felt like it stole what little semblance of a mind he had left. Just the warmth of her lips against his, the taste of her tongue… it went well beyond those shameful nights he spent alone in his quarters. He might have pulled her closer, tried to feel her body against his even through the armor, had she not eased her grip on him and gently pulled back. He was not the kind of man to force himself on another and this woman in particular would be an unwise one to attempt to do so even if he was so inclined.

“Your armor is bulky and painful against my clothes,” she all but whispered in his ear, “what say you we retire for tonight and I help you out of that heavy metal, Captain?”

Who was he to deny Commander Eomerra such a request? Especially when she watched him with such coy eyes and a playful smile before she turned to lead him where he knew her chambers to be. Still, out of some sense of self preservation, he kept as close an eye as could be managed on his surroundings, making sure no unwelcomed eyes could follow them. He had watched the nobles squabble about such things as these before. He didn’t want or need to be in the center of such ugly politics without necessity.

The moment he stepped into her chambers, Marcus Garevel barely had enough time to get the door closed before she was on him again, pulling his gauntlets off his hands and unclasping his armor with the practiced ease of a fellow warrior. She was no delicate flower. It was likely she wouldn’t appreciate being treated like one tonight. He didn’t cringe as the heavy metal fell from his body but he did gently push her away while he pulled off his chainmail and bent to handle his boots. She began to undo her own intricate clothes as well, though in his opinion she did it with more grace than he had known other women to.

It was only once both of them were in their under clothes that they approached each other, Marcus desperate to feel her warm skin under his hands and his mouth desperate to taste the sweetness that was the woman’s flavor. He felt her finger nails scrape against his skin, tracing his scars from combat and while she had some of her own there weren’t nearly as many or nearly as ill treated. Her skin felt almost smooth beneath his hands as he traced the shape of her spine, pulling her close to him so she could feel just how excited she made him with her kisses and scratches. He was far from a young man but he wasn’t old yet. Her enthusiasm made him feel like a boy again.

He didn’t realize they were moving until she fell away from him onto her bed, her chest bare and only her thin panties hiding her skin. Her hair was coming undone from its pins, the braids falling from their buns and now draped over her shoulders. He wondered what her hair would look like out of those pleats. Her ample breasts, perky enough for their size, rose and fell with her deep breaths and her eyes, dark with arousal, took in the sight of him without an ounce of the shyness and modesty a noble woman might have tried to have had. She must have liked what she saw because she reached for him and pulled him down onto the bed over her. He groaned when he felt her strong legs part for him, cradling him between her thighs. 

“Please, Captain,” she moaned in his ear, “don’t be gentle with me. Use my body as you see fit. Treat me like a real man should treat his woman.”

Who was he to complain about such an order from a beautiful woman who spoke to him in such a way? He didn’t waste time then, chatting or thinking about what he wanted. He carefully balanced his weight on one arm and caught her lips in a hungry kiss, plundering her mouth. She made these delightful, pleased little noises and he could feel her nails scratching at his back as he carefully lowered himself over her so she might feel his intention. The fact she still wore panties annoyed him so he instinctively tore them off. Her legs seemed to part further in invitation.

His lips brushed her neck, his mind driven by the need to taste her skin while his hand cupped and pawed at her breast. The sounds she made enticed him, as they were meant to. The way she moved against him, so wonton and yet still with the airs of a lady… How could that fool of a king have left her when he had the chance of keeping her as his bride? The anger he felt at that he vented into his touches as he moved to cover her body with his own and ease himself into her warmth. It had been so long since he had been with a woman he had almost forgotten the sensation.

Their coupling grew primal and animalistic, the sounds of their grunts and moans and wet flesh slapping wet flesh filled the room. What would have been soft kisses and lover’s touches were now nothing more than vicious biting at another’s lips and her fingers clawing at his back hard enough to leave marks while his own body thrust into hers hard enough that she would no doubt feel an ache in her body when the sun had risen. It did not take long. Their minds were too driven by instinct, their bodies lost in the pleasures of one another. They reached their pleasures within moments of each other, first her with her sharp cry as she held him impossibly closer, then him in a low grunt.

Marcus had been too exhausted by his exertions to find it in himself to leave just yet. So after he separated himself from the Commander –no, Eomerra now. She was his lover after all- and gathered a soft cloth to clean them with, he lay with her in her bed, curled around her smaller frame and he wrapped them both in blankets he thought were not quite fine enough for someone of her status. Still, he was too tired to make a complaint and far too content with the warmth and weight of her in his arms, as she leaned back against him and let herself, for once, be protected by another. Not that her companions didn’t protect her on her journey but this… this was different. At least, he hoped it was. He fell asleep surrounded by her scent and quite frankly it had been a long time since he had slept so soundly. 

When morning came, bringing with it the loud crowing of the roosters and the painfully bright sun hitting his eyelids at just the right angle to rouse him, all the captain could really feel at first was the pain that usually came with too much drink and not enough water. His head was throbbing and with the light shining through the window the way it was it just seemed to make the pain intensify. He groaned and tried to hide his eyes away from the light, pulling whatever source of heat it was in his arms a little closer to use it to block the light. Wait… source of heat…

A soft laugh from the person in his arms snapped him from his confused morning haze, even as she ran her fingers soothingly through his blond hair. “Hangovers are a bitch, no matter where you come from.” He might have made a noise of affirmation or he may not have. He didn’t notice because his mind was too busy trying to process the fact that he was naked, in bed, with the Commander of the Grey of Ferelden who was also naked. 

After a few more seconds the memories of last night came through the throbbing of his headache. He could feel himself blushing a bit and he closed his eyes to try and contain it. What did he have to blush about? He had done nothing embarrassing and neither had she. They had rutted together, had rough but thoroughly enjoyable sex. There was nothing wrong with that. Whether it was just one night or not had yet to be determined. He hoped it wouldn’t be but he didn’t want to appear presumptuous. Either way there was no shame in it.

“We have to get up love. We’ve both slept in and I’m sure you’re due for your shift sometime soon.”

He loosened his hold on Eomerra and shifted so that he was above her, his back to the sun so that it wouldn’t hurt his eyes so much. She let him settle where he was, her fingers playing with what little blond hair he had on his chest and spread her knees to better accommodate his lower body just as she had the night before. His body responded naturally to the feeling but he forced that aside to further think on the issue. If he left here before her, especially as he was, unshaven and uncoiffed, they’d definitely start spreading the word while trying in their own way to be discrete. But it wasn’t as if he had the supplies here to fix that…

“Unless you’re going to give me a delightful morning round, I recommend you get up. I have a few things to do before most of the Keep rouses.”

Marcus might have blushed and to keep it hidden leaned forward to hide his face against her neck. Her scent filled his nose and he could feel the soft strands of blonde hair as he brushed his nose against it. He suddenly wished he could just stay here, in this bed, with her all day, making love to her while the sun kept them warm so that he might prolong the moment even more. As it was he had a duty to fulfill and so did she. “Perhaps we have wasted enough time in bed this morning,” he said and forced himself to roll back so she could get out from under him, “my soldiers will likely already have some gossip going around about me.” He hoped it was only him.

Eomerra sighed but got up from the bed, as unashamed by her nudity in the morning light as she had been when she had first taken him to her bed. He couldn’t help but stare at her soft skin, even marked with scars though it was, especially as she pulled the ties on her braids out of her hair and let the blonde locks fall like golden rivulets over her shoulders. He yearned to get up and run his fingers through her hair then kiss her neck, mark her skin where some might see if they knew where to look to say she was a taken woman. Well, he couldn’t mark her but he could run his fingers through her hair; one last little indulgence before he donned his armor once more and became a mere captain of the guard instead of the lover of the Warden-Commander. 

So as she made her way to her vanity on the far side of the room, Marcus stood climbed out of bed on his side and put on his underclothes from the previous night -he’d have to go home and change during his lunch hour but this would do until then- before he walked over to where she sat, humming as she ran her brush through her hair. She smiled as she saw him approach and the knight felt his heart warm. Again he felt anger at the king for tossing aside such a woman but that just meant that it was the king’s loss and his gain really. “I must say, I like your hair when you leave it down,” he said, coming close enough to touch the fine strands with his fingertips, “you should consider leaving it down more often.”

She hummed as he passed her brush through her hair again. “And drive you and your men to distraction? I think not.” She laughed softly as she finished up. “I would rather have only you driven to distraction when I have you safely ensconced in my chambers.”

Marcus’ heart sped up as he moved to kneel next to her chair. His hand searched for hers and he gently interlaced their fingers together. He couldn’t help but feel like that was where his hands belonged. “So does this mean you consider us a pair? Are we to be formal lovers or simply co-workers who take physical comforts in one another?”

Eomerra turned to look at him, her green eyes searching his face as if searching for an answer to his question there. After a moment she squeezed his hand and leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a gentle kiss. “I told you before that I’ve had everything taken from me in this world. My family was slaughtered, my home taken, my heart battered and broken by the man I fell in love with as he told me he could not marry me for political reasons.” She let go of his hand only to run her fingers through his blond hair that was starting to curl without any kind of product to make the strands lie flat again. “You are the one thing I have been able to choose for myself, Marcus Garavel, my last chance at a happiness I had thought I would never know again. I would keep you by my side for many years to come if not marry you properly.”

She… she wanted to keep him. It astounded him that she would want to. Yet when she had her mind fixated on something, he had learned, she could not be dissuaded from it. He pulled her close, kissed her fiercely with all the passion he felt for her but had held back. He heard her pleased moans and felt her hands on his bare arms, not to push him away but hold him closer. When he finally released her he kept their faces close, his nose brushing hers. “I have wanted you since the day I first saw you, mi’lady, since you first walked into the Keep and commanded the respect of your vassals and soldiers as any proper commander would. Your beauty stole my breath away and the way you wielded your sword would make even the most skilled of my men jealous. I would keep you by my side until death takes you and I intend to. But…”

Marcus closed his eyes and took a deep steadying breath. Technically they had already done this out of order but he doubted too much of the Keep would care about that. “…Commander Eomerra Cousland, I will send word to your brother of my intention so that I may have his permission to court you properly. If this becomes what I hope it will, to ignore the proper channels of courtship will have the nobles up in arms against you. I know you may not care overly much about this but I do. I would not have your good name smeared over something so simple.”

“Our lives will not be easy,” she said quietly, moving to hug him so that her nose brushed his neck, “I am a Grey Warden. I will go where I am needed. And when my time is up, when I must pay the price and answer the Calling. We will not grow old together, not like most people do. I can’t even promise you that I can give you children. I want you in my life. Do you still want me in yours?”

Before he could answer a loud knock came at the door that would have startled Marcus away from her if she hadn’t had such a firm hold on him. “Commander?” A muffled voice said at the door, “The Seneschal wishes to speak with you. He says it’s urgent.”

She sighed and nuzzled her lover for a moment before she leaned away and said loudly enough to be heard “Alright. Tell him I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

“Yes ma’am.”

Marcus waited until the servant’s footsteps faded completely before he let out the breath he was holding and almost made a noise of disappointment when Eomerra stepped away as well. “I suppose it is time to return to work then. The people of Vigil’s Keep and Amaranthine need us.” He needed to coordinate with the city guard stronger patrols to keep the survivors in order from the attack on Amaranthine and then begin recruiting for more soldiers to hold the Keep while the Commander handled the business with the Wardens. It was going to be a headache and a half but at least they now had something to look forward to at the end of the day… assuming they were fairly discrete and went through the proper channels.

She sighed and swept across her room to gather her corsets and underclothes. “I may need your help with this bit, if you wouldn’t mind. Corsets are a pain to lace properly without help.”

It was only fair, he thought, that if he should be the one to undo all her hard work that he be the one to help her back into those painful looking underclothes noblewomen were almost required to wear. “I’ll join you in a moment,” he said as he searched for his own underclothes as well as the gambeson he’d need to wear to make sure the chainmail didn’t pinch at his skin. He slipped these both on though he had to fight a bit with his trousers before he stepped behind the changing wall she had gone into. 

She had already set aside her own gambeson and chainmail and her plate armor was racked not far beyond it. The metal shone in the morning light as did her chainmail. It was beautiful on its own. He knew it would only enhance her beauty. He had seen the result firsthand.

But right now she needed help with her deep green corsets and he was all too happy to provide it. “Let me know if they are too tight,” he said, taking the strings from where they were resting on the back of the clothing. He tugged them gently at first, making sure the lower lacings were tight enough and steadily climbing up her back to make sure they remained tight all the way up. He heard her gasping a few times but he was careful to make sure there was no hint of pain. It didn’t take long to get it done and when it was he stepped away so she could finish with lacing her boots before she focused on getting her gambeson on. 

In ten more minutes the both of them had their armor on, properly buckled and in place and Eomerra had been kind enough to let him borrow one of her sharpest daggers to shave his face with. It wasn’t as good as having a salve to shave with so it burned a bit but he was as clean shaven as always and his hair looked okay for the most part. If anything it would look like he was startled awake and rushed to get to work on time. Her hair was properly bound up again and her makeup was plain enough that it took less time than he had thought it would. With their blades and shields strapped to their backs, Captain Marcus Garevel pulled his beloved closer and gave her to gentlest of kisses, a quiet goodbye. “I will find you when the day is done, mi’lady,” he said softly, “take care.”

“You have a good day as well, Captain,” she said equally softly, patting his hair down in some places, “and do remember to have some fun when you can. Your men will thank you for it. I promise.”

They separated again after one more kiss and Marcus opened the door for her to let her out of her room first. She accepted this traditional gesture without a sneer or snide remark and he made sure to close the door behind him hard enough that it locked. He wanted to touch her but kept a respectable distance instead. Until they were ready to make their relationship public he would have to get used it. It would be difficult but worth it.


End file.
